A Blessing for the Cursed
by Page1229
Summary: Years after the Demon World Tournament, Hiei has new responsibilities. One of which includes being a single dad. But what happens when Hiei has to return to the human world to capture Reikai's top most wanted? Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I only own the OCs.

Author's Note: I usually don't make notes, but I feel I should warn the reader that there will be OOC moments.

Chapter 1

When Hiei thought about the past few years, he could only think of one word to describe it all: unexpected. Twenty years had passed since he last left the Makai to "visit" his former companions. Since then, he knew they had all moved on from fighting. True they were all still protective over their world, but now they all had started becoming domesticated; the former Spirit Detective and the fool Kuwabara had both gotten married and had children. Yusuke was, of course, married to Keiko while the buffoon had the gall to marry Hiei's sister Yukina. But as long as Yukina was happy, her older brother couldn't care less.

Kurama hadn't settled down with a woman of his own, but he had a career and was still looking after his mother despite her new husband. Every time the fire demon asked the fox why he was still living in Ningenkai, Kurama would say he was only going to stay long enough to make sure his family did not need him. Twenty years later and the well known bandit was still living in that place Hiei had once considered his prison.

But those weren't the reasons why the past years were unexpected; in fact, only the past five years had been. Mukuro had finally stepped down from her throne- or what was left of it after the first Demon World Tournament- and passed it on to Hiei. The fire demon was quick to pick up the reign, negotiating with each new leader of the Makai- only two leaders had ruled so far since he gained control- to moderate the traffic at the portal that linked the two worlds together. Hiei was disgusted by how many demons had made themselves known in Ningenkai, considering them low-levels that craved attention. This still required patrolling the border, but now Hiei's attention could be more focused on keeping the peace in Makai. Or at least making sure the world was not too overly chaotic.

In his second year of power, Hiei had met a woman that he never would have expected to effect him so much. A water demon named Ren. The irony was not lost on him as he began to fall in love with the apparition. Her long, wavy hair shined brighter than gold, her eyes sparkled like amethysts. She was intelligent, impulsive, and criticized his every move. Of course the short demon would fall for such an annoyance.

But their relationship was short, Ren became pregnant and died after giving birth to their love child. Again, Hiei never expected any of this to happen. But what threw him completely off was his child.

Amaya was small for her age. She had long, wavy black hair and her mother's violet eyes. Her skin was pale and soft, a contrast to her dark hair. Her movements were quick and graceful, which worked well since she loved to dance. Amaya was a water apparition like her mother, but she moved quickly and silently like Hiei. When he started training her to fight, Hiei had a hard time keeping up with her.

Her father scanned the forest, trying to pick up her youki. He had discarded his cloak since he was wearing his black sleeveless undershirt. 'She is fast,' he thought with a bit of pride. 'But she still doesn't know how to conceal herself.' With that, Hiei turned his back on the direction he had been facing in order to catch a small fist aimed at his head. He smirked at the little girl in front of him, her eyes alight with energy and frustration. She tried to pull her hand free from his grasp but it was no use, his grip was iron tight. She lifted her free hand to try another hit but he grabbed that too.

The small growl that emerged from Amaya's lips made Hiei chuckle, she sounded like a kitten trying to be intimidating. Hiei took this as an opportunity to teach her a hard lesson. Using his hold on her tiny wrists, Hiei thrust his head forward to hit his daughter in the face. Not too hard, but enough to make her respond with a groan.

"Fists aren't your only weapons," he chided. "Use kicks, your knives, even water when you channel it can be used to your advantage. Don't let your opponent trap you in a corner."

Amaya stared into his crimson glaze, her face held concern but her eyes had determination. His heart swelled as she nodded and began to focus her youki. Without hesitation, Amaya kicked her father as hard as she could in the stomach, causing his grip to loosen. She ripped her hands free and landed on her feet as she prepared to knock one of his legs out from under him. But Hiei saw what she was doing and threw a punch at her, not really expecting it to connect. Amaya jumped back and was about to distance herself, using the trees as cover, when her father leaped forward and tackled her to the ground.

Hiei's back was arched as he tried not to smother his kid. Amaya pushed against his chest without success; he was too heavy for her to budge.

"Dad!" she whined. "Get off me!" He only laughed. She got mad whenever anyone touched her; even Hiei was rarely allowed to hold her. Fighting was the only excuse she thought was acceptable for anyone to touch her.

Hiei wrapped his arms tighter around his daughter, the only other person he could stand to hold besides her mother. Amaya stopped struggling, accepting the embrace and deciding to wait it out. She secretly relished moments with her father because his responsibilities often kept them apart, but she didn't want him to know that. Amaya was only three and a half years old, but she already acted like an adult.

A few more seconds passed before Hiei stood up, still holding Amaya in his arms like she was an infant. He let her wriggle out of his hold, noting the blush on her face. 'Embarrassed to be held even by her father,' he thought with a smirk. 'I'm gonna make her adolescence terrible.'

Amaya heard her dad chuckle but ignored it, flipping her hair over her shoulder and adopting a blank expression. They gathered their equipment and started towards their mobile fortress. Amaya walked in front, her steps short but fast. Hiei noted how she took to wearing slippers like the dancers do. He had no idea where she got the drive to dance, definitely not from him and her mother was too wild to learn any distinct form of dance. Amaya was her own person, that much was obvious.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Hiei," the woman in his arms whispered as she placed his hands on her abdomen. "Don't take this the wrong way, but let us not try to start a tradition of throwing our children off cliffs."

The dragon wielder glared at the water apparition, but she only smiled. "Take a joke."

That was the first thing he had noticed about Ren: she didn't care what she said or who she said it in front of. It had almost gotten her killed numerous times before. The first time Hiei met Ren, she looked at him and snorted, saying, "They'll put anyone in charge now." He had wanted to kill her right then and there, but at the moment she was useful.

Water demons usually kept to their own territories in Makai, but Ren had become known for espionage. Water demons have the ability to control water, of course, but the most skilled of them could convert their own bodies into liquid. This was a very dangerous practice and many of the apparitions never even attempted to learn the technique because the mortality rate was through the roof: once the body lost its form, the apparition had to keep a calm mind and steady youki level or else the body could lose the ability to materialize. Control way key, if they were near soil or anything that could absorb they had to focus greatly on staying on the surface. And time was also a problem, staying in liquid form for too long the demon ran the risk of remaining in that state. An endurance had to be built up before that demon could last one minute as water.

Ren was a rare case of seemingly endless endurance and intense focus, but only when she was being serious which was not very often. Her jokes gave Hiei headaches before he learned to ignore them. When Ren learned that verbal assaults were no longer useful, she moved to more physical actions. At first it was just poking, then tickling, and then just plain old tackling. Hiei would shout at her with such force and colorful language that even the most senior officer cringed, but Ren just stood there and smiled.

Then one day, as he yelled at her in the hall for tackling and making his face hit the tiled floor, Ren lifted a finger to his lips and said, "You're cute when you're angry." Then she kissed him, in the hall in front of his men.

Their relationship had a strange start, to say the least, and Hiei never wanted it to end the way it did; Ren died before she even had a chance to hold their daughter. He watched Amaya as she moved in eloquent patterns across the floor, never losing her focus. The necklace around Amaya's neck swung wildly as she made her transitions from one position to another. The icy stone reflected what little light there was in the room. Amaya was using an empty space that Hiei had once had to stay in for six months during his training under Mukuro. The blood from his opponents had been long washed away, but he knew Amaya wouldn't have minded either way; she had seen death once before and even commented that bloodstains were annoying to get out of clothes.

It didn't bother her father how cold she could be; Hiei felt proud when Amaya made those kinds of comments. But he was always proud of his offspring even when she danced, showing a carefree side of her that only soft music and an empty room could bring out.

Hiei heard the door behind him open and growled, he didn't like to be bothered when he was with Amaya. His daughter continued her practice without even stumbling, proving just how closed off she was from outside interruptions. The guard that came in knelt to the ground with a "my lord" as a greeting. The fire demon only grunted, still with his back turned and watching his daughter. The guard straightened up and waited. Finally, Hiei turned to him.

"What?" His frustration was clear.

"My lord, a messenger arrived requesting your audience." The guard kept his glaze focused on the floor.

"Mukuro receives messages at times like this, go bother her." The fire demon turned away.

The guard fumbled for words. "My lord, the messenger came straight from Reikai with urgent business."

"Then send him to the king," Hiei replied testily.

"The messenger is a woman, my lord. With blue hair. She said you worked with her while you were still in Ningenkai."

Amaya paused, intrigued by the conversation once she heard about the human world. Hiei sighed when he saw the water apparition's interest in the conversation. 'Great, now she'll want to meet the baka onna.'

"Fine," he conceded. "Take me to her."

The guard led the way down the hall with Hiei and Amaya following. Amaya walked beside her father. Hiei saw the eagerness in her eyes but she was careful to keep her usual bored look on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The second Hiei and Amaya entered the throne room, a bubbly blue haired woman in a pink kimono came running. Amaya's first impression was that the woman was insane: with little regard to her own safety, the woman was in her father's face talking a mile a minute.

"Hiei, I'm so glad you're here. Lord Koenma needs you. Well, he needs the whole gang actually, but you're the only one not already accounted for. I mean, you've been away for so long. How long was it again? Twenty years? Quite a long time to go without visiting your friends, you know. Have you even been visiting Yukina? I'm sure she misses you a lot now that she knows you're her brother. Oh my, who's this? She's so small I almost didn't see her." The woman examined Amaya with such curiosity, the girl had to fight the urge to smack her.

Hiei's eyebrow was still twitching from the woman's ramblings. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

The blue haired spirit blinked. "Is that how you greet old friends, Hiei? I would have thought the past couple of decades would have changed your attitude."

"Dad, who is this?" Amaya asked. She looked up at her father.

"Dad?" the woman whispered to herself.

"Amaya," Hiei began, his voice strained. "This is Botan, Koenma's secretary."

"Secretary!" Botan shouted. "You brat! I'm the pilot of the River Stix, you know that!"

"Yes, but whenever you aren't escorting the dead, you're licking the prince's boots."

Botan's face turned red. She materialized her oar and swung it at Hiei's head, giving him lump and earning her a laugh. Amaya stood in shock; she had never seen anyone hit Hiei without him dismembering them after.

Hiei glared at the ferry girl. Botan immediately stopped laughing when his voice came into her head: 'Do that again and I will end you!'

"Now, what is so damned important that you came all the way here?" he growled.

Botan shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Right then, I'm afraid we've been having a bit of trouble in Ningenkai: some dangerous demons have gotten loose and have been attacking humans."

"That's impossible. The portal on this side has been monitored closely, no demons with intent to harm have slipped past."

Botan nervously twiddled her thumbs. "Well, you see that's where we messed up. And by 'we,' I mean Reikai. These demons broke out of the prison we have there and managed to escape through a security portal."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "So how is this my problem?"

"Well Hiei, don't you want to help your friends?"

"Yusuke and Kurama are perfectly able to protect the human world. I see no reason for me to get involved."

"What about Yukina? Don't you want to make sure she is alright?"

Hiei sighed. Yukina was an ice apparition, but she was not one for fighting. The fire demon cringed at the thought of leaving Kuwabara in charge of her well being. It was easier to deal with when he knew nothing was going to happen, but now this threat could cause her harm. Especially since demons are drawn to humans with high spirit awareness, the one thing the fool was even remotely good at.

"Fine," he replied through clenched teeth.

Botan clapped her hands together with a huge grin on her face. "Oh thank you, Hiei. Now come on, there isn't much time." The deity brought out her oar again and perched herself on it.

Hiei turned to one of the guards in the room. "Inform Mukuro that I'm leaving. She'll be in charge until I get back." The fire demon turned when he felt something tug at his cloak. He looked down at his daughter who stared at him expectantly.

"I'm coming too," she said. Hiei started to say 'no' but the girl continued. "I want to come. I want to see the human world and meet my aunt."

Her father shook his head. "Trust me, the humans are disgusting. You don't want to see where they live. And as for your aunt, she can come visit us."

Then Amaya did the one thing Hiei never saw her do: she cried. Tears came to her violet orbs and she began gasping like she was running out of oxygen. Hiei's own eyes widened, at a loss of what to do. Botan just watched, transfixed on how strange the situation was to her.

Hiei lowered himself to one knee as he looked at Amaya's face. "Stop crying," he pleaded. Botan almost fell off her oar when she heard the desperation in his voice. "I will take you to Ningenkai one day, but now is not a good time." Amaya started to hiccup. "When you're older and I know you won't get hurt."

Okay, this was getting to be too much for the Grim Reaper: Hiei actually cared for someone besides himself? 'Well,' she thought. 'Even Hiei cannot be immune to his own child's tears.' Hiei's eyebrow twitched when he heard her thought but he had to bite back a retort.

"But," Amaya managed to say between gasps. "I don't want you to go. And I promise I won't get hurt." 'You've never left me alone before,' she thought.

Hiei nodded, hearing her thought. Amaya was very good at keeping her mind private but this was a truth neither of them could ignore.

The man sighed as he gave up his stand. "Alright," he conceded. His daughter looked up at him, excitement in her gaze. "But stay close to me." She nodded, wiping her tears on her sleeve.

'Hiei, wielder of the Jagan and master of the Darkness Flame, brought to his knees- literally- by his own daughter.' Botan couldn't stop the giggle that came from her throat. Hiei growled at her, showing his fangs.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Amaya looked around the new world they were in. At first, she thought it resembled Makai with all the forests and mountains; but then she noticed there were buildings and roads everywhere. And the smell, it was like the stench of something rotting. Hiei smirked as she pinched her nose. "Overpowering, I know. But you'll get used to it soon."

Botan was hovering on her oar, waiting for them to move on. "Right, on to Genkai's temple."

"Is the old woman still alive?" Hiei asked without looking at the ferry girl.

"Oh my, no. But the temple is still well looked after by Yukina. Even after she and Kuwabara got married, she visits the temple to keep it looking tidy."

Hiei just nodded and gave the signal for them to continue. Botan soared on her oar while Hiei and Amaya darted from tree branch to tree branch. Botan noted just how small the water demon was, even given that she was barely considered a toddler Amaya only just reached her father's knee.

The two demons moved quickly, only appearing as blurry shadows. Botan stayed focused on reaching the temple, knowing there was no use trying to keep up with Hiei and his offspring.

As they reached the edge of Genkai's property, Hiei stopped his daughter from advancing in the trees. "There are barriers here we have to look out for," he explained. "Follow me." Her father walked forward cautiously towards a dirt path; she observed how his eyes never stopped moving, taking in almost every detail of the forest. Amaya followed his example, exercising as much awareness as she could.

Hiei sensed out all of the old master's barriers that he remembered from his last visit and even a few new ones that reeked of Kuwabara's energy. 'At least he is not completely useless,' he thought.

After an hour of careful trekking, the pair arrived at a set of stones steps. Amaya marveled at how many there were. At the top, she spotted a grand gate that was open to reveal a traditional Shinto temple. 'So that's a temple,' she thought. Hiei and Amaya wasted no time dashing up the steps, arriving at the top in less than a second.

Amaya picked up on several energies, all mixes of youki and another form she had never sensed before. Hiei noted just how many people he felt: 'Looks like I'm not the only one who brought their offspring along.'


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As soon as the doors to the temple were opened, Amaya's ears were assaulted by noises. The front room was large that looked like it could house a hundred people. There were only ten people inside, but Amaya doubted a hundred could even match the sound level. There were two older men in the center who seemed to be wrestling, one had black hair and a good sized build on him while the other had orange hair and was significantly larger. But the smaller man seemed to be in better shape since he had the orange haired man in a headlock. Two women- their wives, Amaya assumed- were on the edge of the fight yelling for them to stop. The black haired man only laughed while the orange haired man grinned like a fool.

Throughout the rest of the room were younger people who didn't seem to notice the fight or they didn't care. There was an older gentleman- Amaya found this as the only word she could describe him as- with red hair and green eyes sitting against the wall reading a large book. No one seemed to have noticed the new arrivals.

"Dad," Amaya looked up at Hiei. "Who are these idiots?"

Hiei smirked. "These are our teammates in this mission." Amaya's face fell, showing just what her impression was of the group.

Upon hearing his voice, the men broke apart from each other and the gentleman looked up from his book.

Amaya continued without noticing the silence. "These demons aren't going to be easy prey if they escaped Reikai. Can we trust them?"

"You can trust me that they will get the job done. They may look like a pack of fools but they're str-" Hiei was cut off as the black haired man grabbed him.

"Hiei!" the man cheered. The fire demon pushed the man off him, shooting him a glare. But the man went on without seeming to notice. "Man, it's been years since we last saw you. We heard Mukuro finally stepped down and you took her place."

Hiei composed himself to look bored. "Yes, she did. And I have a million other important things to do, so if we could get going..."

"Botan and Koenma aren't here yet to give us the briefing," the man answered. His eyes moved down when he heard a small sigh. A tiny girl with long, wavy black hair and violet eyes stood next to the fire demon. Hiei was short but this girl, who looked at least around four or five years old, barely reached his knee. She had the same bored expression on her face as her father.

"The woman was following us when we got here," Hiei replied. "But we must have lost her."

The girl shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well." Her voice matched her attitude, the man found it a little obvious who she was.

"Wow Hiei, I didn't know you and Mukuro had a kid."

Hiei scowled at the taller man. "Mukuro is not Amaya's mother."

The man just grinned. "Take it easy, man. How was I supposed to know? Anyway, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Hn."

"Great." The man nudged Hiei further into the room, Amaya following. When they got to the center of the room, the man whistled to grab everyone's attention. All the young people stopped talking to look at the newcomers. One girl, who looked to be in her late teens with black hair, glared at the man for interrupting a conversation she was having with a girl who had teal hair.

"Alright everyone listen up!" The man's voice was booming in the large room. "Let's get introductions out of the way so we can start as soon as Botan and Koenma get here."

"Why should we?" the black haired girl shouted. Her voice was almost as loud as the man's. "We all know each other."

"We got a couple of stragglers from Makai who aren't up to speed with your life, Katsumi." The girl rolled her eyes.

"Okay," the man indicated Hiei. "Shorty over here is Hiei. Don't touch him and don't piss him off." The adults in the room all snickered at the bluntness of Hiei's intro.

The man looked down at Amaya and asked, "What's your name, sweetheart?"

The girl growled at the pet name. "It's Amaya and don't call me that again."

"Well, I guess that means same rules apply to you then." He turned to the rest of the group. "Okay, loudmouth over there is my daughter, Katsumi. The girl she was talking to is your niece, Harumi, Hiei. The ten year old picking his nose is your nephew, Keiji. And his brother Kazuki is the one standing next to Yukina. My son, Tamotsu, is the kid talking to Keiko. And of course, you know Kuwabara, Kurama, and I'm Yusuke." This last part, Yusuke pointed to each man for Amaya's benefit.

"You're not planning for this to be a family outing, are you?" Hiei asked.

Yusuke scratched the back of his head. "Hell no. I only planned on bringing Kats, but Keiko and Tamotsu wanted to see everybody."

"I thought you would want to meet your niece and nephews, brother," Yukina said as she walked up to him and Amaya.

"Hn."

"Hello," Yukina crouched in front of the water demon. "I guess your my niece. Amaya was it?"

The girl just nodded. She stared at her father's twin, seeing some of his features but in a more gentle and feminine way. Yukina reached her hand out to touch Amaya's hair, but the girl flinched slightly. Yukina pulled her hand away with a wounded expression. Hiei had the instinct to glare at whoever made Yukina feel bad, but then he remembered it was own daughter who did not like being touched.

"Don't take it personally," he assured his sister. "She rarely even let's me touch her."

"I guess she is your daughter then," Yukina laughed.

The doors opened again to reveal the blue haired deity accompanied by a man with a pacifier in his mouth and the abbreviation "Jr" on his forehead.

Yusuke snorted. "Looks like you still can't kick that sucking habit. Can you Koenma?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The briefing was straightforward: there were six demons who ranged within the B class. Their leader, a wolf demon by the nickname Tero, planned on hunting humans, enslaving them, and selling them both in the human and demon worlds. His colleagues were notorious traffickers, professionals who knew how to subdue and transport living beings. A handful of humans had already gone missing and the location of the hideout was unclear.

"Based on how widespread and unfocused these missing persons reports are," Kurama informed. "I'm assuming this means they have more than one base of operations."

"I believe you're right, Kurama," Koenma agreed. "Figuring out where these bases are is going to be hard."

"Why don't we all split up?" Kuwabara asked.

Hiei scoffed. "Fool, we don't know enough yet to start dividing our forces."

"Not to mention we don't know how many demons we are dealing with," Yusuke began. "We know of the original six, but there are so many demons already here that could probably be working for them."

The prince nodded. "That is a problem. With the barrier being taken down, demons have been going between worlds almost as frequently as in the Dark Ages. Even with Hiei pushing for moderation, the flow has barely decreased."

"How does that work anyways, Hiei?" Kuwabara questioned the short apparition.

"Each demon wanting to visit Ningenkai has to go through a screening process. We have telepaths at our disposal to shift through the minds of apparitions. If one demon shows the desire to enter the human world to do nothing but harm, then their request is forfeited and they have to answer to the king."

"Do you have any control over demons who pass through?" the former detective asked.

Hiei nodded. "They are given an amount of time to waste in Ningenkai. We have a device implanted inside them that alerts us whenever a demon's time in Ningenkai is up or if they have violated the terms of their visit. My men hunt them down and return them to Makai with as much discretion as possible."

"Is there a way to bypass this system?" Kurama asked.

Hiei sighed. "We learned recently that the device can be tampered with: an apparition can remove the device- which is rare because that requires a great amount of concentration and pain- or they can deactivate it while it is still inside them."

"Where exactly is the device implanted?"

Hiei pointed to the back of his neck. Kurama pursed his lips. "Not a permanent solution."

"Was never meant to be. As soon as they return, the device is removed."

"Is there a record anywhere of demons who are rogue?"

"We have a list of devices still unaccounted for. And yes, that does include the demon's name but the problem is that there are still visiting apparitions so they go on the same list."

"Does the list have dates?"

Hiei sighed. "Yeah, but it's a long list to go through. I'll ask Mukuro to send someone with it." The demon sat in silence for a moment. Everyone in the group saw his Jagan give off a small light underneath his headband. Hiei returned to the conversation. "I doubt every missing demon on that list will be a part of this."

Kurama nodded. "But it is best to assume large numbers either way."

"So what do we do now?" Kuwabara asked.

Yusuke answered, "We should probably check out the most resent missing person. Who is it?"

Koenma looked over the files, "A man by the name Hiro Oonishi. He lives in Mushiyori City."

"Great, that's not too far from here." Yusuke got up, his daughter following suit.

"Wait, Yusuke!" Koenma ordered, the half demon was walking out the door. "We still need to go over the other five demons!"

Yusuke and Katsumi were already outside. Koenma sighed, placing his index fingers at the sides of his head.

"Well, I guess we should follow them guys before they leave us behind." Kuwabara rose with Kazuki beside him. Kurama, Hiei, and Amaya stood and left.

"Good luck!" Botan called. Keiko opened a window and shouted, "Yusuke! Don't you dare let Kats get hurt!" A loud bark of laughter was her answer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"To be honest, Hiei," the fox began. "I never would have imagined you having a child."

"Yeah, me neither," the former detective added.

"Nope." Kuwabara threw in his two cents.

The fire demon was lagging behind the rest of the group with Amaya to avoid conversation. Unfortunately, the fact that Amaya was even there sprouted a conversation around him. 'This is another reason why she shouldn't have come,' he thought, mentally kicking himself for allowing her tears to sway him.

They had arrived at Mishiyori City and were searching for the address of the missing man. Kats and Kazuki were walking beside both their fathers like Amaya, but unlike her they had started talking to each other about school and friends. 'How annoying,' she thought. Amaya didn't care about friends and she thought school was a huge waste of time. 'Why would you sit in a room all day just listening to someone talk nonstop?'

'Regretting your decision to see the humans?' her dad asked telepathically.

Amaya flipped her hair over her shoulder. 'Nonsense. If I endure now, I won't suffer later.'

Hiei chuckled. Yusuke heard him. "Something funny?"

"Oh man," Kuwabara joined. "If Hiei's laughing, either it's really funny or really sick."

"Do you want to risk it?" Hiei challenged.

The psychic pondered a moment then shook his head. "We're on a mission, I can't afford to lose focus."

"Smartest decision you've ever made."

"You haven't changed one bit, runt boy!"

"Did you expect him to, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked.

"I guess I did, at least a little. Twenty years is a long time. It's hard to believe we are all here, together."

"Yeah, it seemed like just yesterday Keiko and I got married. Now we have a house, two kids, and a restaurant.

"I hear ya. At first it was just me and Yukina. Then her one hundredth birthday came and she had Harumi. Then Kazuki and now Keiji."

"You guys gonna pop out another one?" Yusuke chuckled.

Kuwabara couldn't help but laugh with his friend. "No way, three is enough. Besides, we are trying to focus on paying for Harumi to go to college abroad. She really wants to go and we figured she's a good enough student to stay afloat. Plus, we know she could do so much more..."

The two dads continued talking about their families. 'Kill me now,' Hiei thought.

"Hiei," the demon turned to Kurama. "I was wondering: what does Amaya's mother think about her visiting Ningenkai?"

Hiei stopped walking. Amaya looked up at her father with unconcealed concern. Kurama and the rest of the group stopped and turned to the Jagan wielder. A painful silence came as Hiei glared at the ground, his fists clenched tightly. A few minutes passed before Hiei relaxed. Amaya thought she saw some blood on his left palm.

"I'm sorry," Kurama whispered.

Hiei laughed harshly. "Sorry for what? Amaya's mother is dead, so she doesn't have an opinion anymore. Even if she wasn't, I wouldn't want to hear it; she was annoying." With that, Hiei marched on towards their destination. "Come on, the sooner we check this lead the sooner we can leave."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Hiro was kindhearted, gentle; he would not harm any one." A distraught housewife was on the verge of tears as she explained what her husband was like to Kurama.

Kats blew her bangs out of her face. "This is stupid."

Amaya was sitting on the window seat next to Kats's chair. "Agreed. Especially since she's lying."

"Oh?"

Amaya nodded. "The woman's face is slightly misshapen. It's subtle, so a human wouldn't notice but her nose is off center and one of her cheekbones is more sunk in than the other."

"She could just be deformed."

Amaya sighed in exasperation. "She's in denial."

"How can you tell?"

Amaya tapped her forehead. "Get it from my dad, but I'm not as good at it. Weak women are easy to pick up on."

Kats shrugged, then asked, "How old are you?"

Amaya stared at the teenager. "That has nothing to do with this."

"I know, I was just wondering."

"Hn."

Mrs. Oonishi was under the impression the men were undercover officers, but when she asked about the children they had convinced her it was an after school program. Amaya was another question since she was obviously too young to be a part of it, but another story explained that Hiei was unable to get a sitter until six that evening.

"I know this is tough for you, Mrs. Oonishi, but we need to know where your husband went the night he disappeared." Kurama was trying his best to express as much sympathy as possible.

"He always stays at work late, trying to get as much overtime in as possible. Hiro had this dream to open his own bar, but we never seemed to get enough money." The woman took a shaky breathe.

"Because he spent it on his mistress," Amaya whispered to Kats.

"Who was this guy? The epitome of asshole?" Kats whispered back. Amaya snickered, she was beginning to like this human.

Kurama tried hard to ignore the two girls but his sensitive hearing was making that hard. But then a thought struck him: if Amaya was listening in, then maybe she could tell where the man really was that night.

"Are you absolutely sure your husband was at his office?" Kurama pressed.

The woman seemed taken aback by his sudden urgency. She hesitated for a moment. Amaya straightened as she saw a vision of the wife going through her husband's laundry. She began emptying his pockets and found a note with red lipstick on it. Amaya saw a name and address before the woman folded the note up and rushed out of the room, forgetting the laundry which would result in another violent argument with her husband.

Mrs. Oonishi nodded. "Yes, I'm sure."

Amaya looked at her father, who was leaning against the doorway leading into the kitchen. She didn't want to get up and draw attention, but she knew Hiei wasn't one for listening to other people's minds; especially women.

Amaya flared her youki slightly, causing everyone except the woman to sit up straighter. Hiei looked at his daughter who gave him a meaningful look. She reached out as much as she could with her mind until she felt a consciousness similar to her own. Hiei's mind seemed to wrap protectively around hers. Amaya relayed as much of the images as she could. When Kurama felt Amaya's energy rise, he knew they had the information they needed.

"You have been very helpful, Mrs. Oonishi. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"I'm glad I could help," the woman smiled weakly.

As soon as they left the house, Hiei gave Kurama the address to go to next.

"Anyone else notice how low that woman was?" Kuwabara asked. "I mean she seemed sad, angry, happy, and ashamed all at the same time."

"Amaya noticed," Kats brought up. She looked down at the tiny water demon. "She was in that woman's head."

"Well, that explains the energy flare," Yusuke said.

"This new location could be a trap," Hiei interrupted.

The red headed kitsune nodded. "Whoever is at this address could be one of the demons we are looking for."

But when they arrived at the address, the group learned it was an empty warehouse.

"Good thing we have spirit awareness," Yusuke said.

"Yeah, but you're not very good at it," Kats teased.

"Look who's talking?"

Kuwabara and Kazuki stepped forward. "Okay, Kazuki you take the south side of this place and I'll take the north." His son nodded. Amaya realized her cousin did not really talk a lot, he seemed to take after his mother in more than just looks.

The Kuwabaras combed the inside of the warehouse while Hiei and Kurama examined the area outside.

"A perfect spot," Hiei admired. "Far enough from human residencies to ensure privacy."

"Reminiscing now Hiei?" Kurama raised an eyebrow.

"Hn."

"Hey guys," Kazuki called out. "Come in, we found something."

Kuwabara was standing in a back office of the building, going through old files.

"What do you got Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked coming up behind the taller man.

"Files for the company that rented this place. Apparently they have multiple warehouses throughout Japan but all the leases are expired."

"An interesting find," Kurama commented. "Do you see a pattern in the locations of the warehouses?"

"Yeah I do. But guys, this seems too easy."

"Probably dumber than we thought," Yusuke offered. Hiei snorted derisively, but the detective ignored him.

Kurama shook his head, his hair falling over his shoulders. "Their leader is too cunning. And overconfidence doesn't fit his description well either."

"A trap?" Hiei asked.

"Most likely. They have to know Reikai has sent someone after them. Tero will do what he can to throw us off. Remember, a cornered wolf is still very much a threat."

"So," Kats began, looking at her father. "Is this it?"

Yusuke placed his hand on her shoulder. "Not by a long shot, kid. But we should go back and rest up. Let the toddler's lackeys take care of the small fry."

"Yusuke," Kurama chastised. "All of Tero's subordinates are B class, we have to take care of them."

Yusuke growled in frustration. "Fine."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The group had decided to split up after all to eliminate as much of Tero's forces as possible. Hiei didn't like it, but the report from Mukuro yielded surprising information: only a small number of rogue demons were on the list. 'It can't be just a coincidence,' he thought. The number of demons missing was almost identical to the number of humans.

"Koenma," Kurama began. "I've looked over all the human files and I don't understand: only two humans seemed at all valuable for the black market while the rest would be considered expendable." He was talking into a communication mirror that he held unto since their youth.

"Hmm," the prince pondered. "I have noticed that too. In fact, this whole situation is fishy. Did Hiei ever get the report?"

"Yes, and the information was a bit staggering."

"That bad?"

"No, it was not nearly as much as we thought."

"Do you boys need reinforcements?"

"No, Yusuke has already sent for a few old allies. They should be here shortly."

Koenma bowed his head. "Alright, be careful and keep me posted."

The fox closed off the communicator. He was starting to feel a head ache coming on.

They had returned to the temple to rest and receive their "reinforcements." Kurama chuckled when he thought of who was joining them and how they would greet everyone. 'Even Yoko did not have nearly as many friends as Yusuke does,' he thought.

The kitsune was about to retire when he felt a familiar energy outside his window. Looking out, he could barely make out the silhouette of the fire demon in the dark. Kurama decided to just climb out the window to avoid attention. As he approached his friend, Hiei turned. His crimson eyes glowed menacingly until he saw who it was.

"Hiei."

"She died in child birth, if that's what you're wondering." His voice was bland as he said this, but Kurama knew Hiei well enough to sense his pain.

"I was going to say she must have made quite the impression if she managed to get you in bed."

Hiei's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Watch it, fox."

"I'm sorry."

"But you're right, she did. I despised that woman and then I loved her. I never expected it to last and it didn't." Now his voice sounded bitter.

"You have to cherish the moments you shared."

There was an awkward silence before Kurama said, "Amaya seems to take after you."

"Hn, not really. She doesn't like physical contact, that's about it. The rest is all her and Ren."

"Ren?"

"Her mother. Amaya has her eyes, her powers, and even her laugh if you can manage it."

"So what part is distinctly her own?"

"Her dancing. I don't know why, but she loves to dance. She sings a little too, but dancing is something I doubt she will ever give up."

"You sound very proud."

"Hn." Hiei smiled as his mind went back to the empty room, watching Amaya twist and turn gracefully.

"Are you going to sleep out here?" Kurama's voice brought the demon out of his reverie. He growled under his breath.

"I was planning on it. Why?"

"I thought you would want to stay near your daughter."

As if on cue, both men heard a door open and close and saw a small figure walk out of the temple. The figure spotted them and looked like it was about to go back inside but hesitated a moment before walking towards them.

"Good evening, Amaya," the fox greeted. The girl nodded in answer. "I suppose I'll go back inside then."

Once the pair was alone, amethyst eyes stared up at crimson. "What you doing out of bed?"

"Uncle snores."

"I thought you were sleeping with the loud girl."

"I was but he snores really loud."

Hiei nodded. "Trees aren't nearly as comfortable as beds, but you won't hear the fool's obnoxious breathing."

Amaya rolled her eyes. "Anything to get away from that noise."

The girl followed her father into the forest before they reached one of the tallest trees that still kept close to the compound. Hiei jumped from branch to branch until he was near the top. Amaya quickly duplicated his movements until they were on the same branch.

The wind was significantly colder up there. Amaya shivered and drew her cloak tightly around her shoulders. Hiei leaned against the tree, staring at his daughter.

"Come over here," he ordered.

"Why?" Amaya demanded. The cold was putting her in a rapidly deteriorating mood.

"Because I don't freeze. Or would you rather stay up all night listening to constant snoring?"

Amaya glared at her dad. A few seconds passed, then a particularly chill wind forced Amaya to move closer. Hiei was getting impatient, so as soon as his daughter came within reach, he grabbed her and wrapped her in his cloak. She growled but her shaking had ceased.

"Shut up and go to sleep." Hiei closed his eyes but Amaya was still glaring at him. Feeling her gaze, he opened one eye. "What?"

"I don't like being ordered around."

"I know you don't," his voice was starting to slur.

Amaya reached under her shirt and brought out the stone she kept around her neck. Even in complete darkness, it seemed to give off its own light. Hiei watched as his daughter seemed to get lost in the stone's icy depths. It reminded him of when he used to stare into it and think about Hyouga, the place of his birth, and his mother Hina. The demon had gone through hell trying to find that stone after he lost it due to his own carelessness. The jewel was part of the reason he had undergone the procedure for the Jagan eye and it had led him to his mentor, Mukuro. Hiei had originally let Mukuro hold onto the stone because it had given her comfort in an otherwise dark time, but the woman had given it to Amaya on her third birthday. The demoness had explained the stone's significance and who the original owner was, which was part of why Amaya cherished it so much.

Looking into the stone, Amaya felt safe. She knew it was foolish to want to gaze into it when the reason for her safety was holding her; but somehow this way seemed more intimate. Her father had stored his own energy into the jewel and now she could feel his presence even when he wasn't around.

She sighed as she tucked the stone back under her shirt and leaned back into Hiei. As soon as he heard her breathing deepen, he wrapped his arms tighter around her and fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Reinforcements arrived in the form of the wind master Jin, the ice ninja Touya, Shishiwakamaru the imp, Chu the Sui Ken master, and the brilliant strategist Suzuki. Most of the greetings were pleasant enough except for one mishap that involved the oversized Chu almost stepping on Amaya. The girl moved out of the just in time, but her temper had been flared and she bit Chu's leg, sinking her fangs in and drawing blood.

"Nasty little she-devil," Chu complained as Suzuki bandaged his leg.

Amaya giggled when she heard that. It slightly disturbed some of the group with how sweet and innocent it sounded when coming from a demon child, but people like Hiei and Kats just took it as a little girl's expression of joy.

They devised a plan to search the next four locations in teams of three; their intention was to regroup and find the headquarters as a small army. Kurama, Touya, and Amaya were the first group; Hiei, Kats, and Suzuki were the second; Yusuke, Kazuki, and Jin were the third group; leaving Kuwabara with Shishi and Chu. Their reasoning for separating families was so both the children and the fathers would not be distracted by trying to protect each other.

"With the first warehouse already vacant," Kurama explained. "There is a good chance some of the others will be too. If the warehouse is empty, return here and wait for the rest of us."

Yusuke's group entered their warehouse cautiously. Kazuki raised his awareness to pick up on anything suspicious.

"Jin," Yusuke turned to the horned demon. "Fly up to the ceiling and let us know if you spot anything."

"Aye," Jin replied. He summoned as much wind as he could in the large building and rose above the stacks of crates and old machinery. He perched himself on one of the rafters and began his lookout.

Yusuke turned to the young psychic. "Stay close. If your anything like your old man, you'll fall into a trap on your own."

Kazuki's cheeks reddened but he kept his mouth shut. He really resembled Yukina more than Kuwabara. He had orange hair that looked slightly ruffled, sticking up in odd places. He had Yukina's face, or Hiei's, but he had Kuwabara's grey eyes and large build; almost being Yusuke's height at just fourteen years old.

The two half demons maneuvered themselves around the crates, searching for any energy signature. They passed by a door that was blocked by a crate before Kazuki stopped, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up.

"Mr. Urameshi, wait." The man turned to see the boy examining the crate. "I sense something."

"Careful kid," the detective warned.

Kazuki pushed the crate aside, revealing the door behind it. He placed his hand flat against it and closed his eyes.

"Yeah," the boy whispered. "There is a large amount of energy behind this door." Without waiting for a response, the boy pushed the door open and walked in. As soon as the psychic was completely inside, the door slammed shut. At the same time, Yusuke heard a crash behind him and looked up to see the rafter Jin was on was vacant.

"Jin!" he shouted. He heard a groan in response and ran to the source.

Jin was lying on his back on a pile of broken crates. "Oh shit, Jin! What happened?" The wind master's arms and legs were covered in his own blood from the splinters. His right wrist had a five inch piece of wood pierced through it.

Yusuke started to hear banging coming from the door Kazuki walked through. The detective went back to try and open the door but it wouldn't budge. He began to bang on it. "Hey kid! Open the door!"

"I can't!" The boy shouted back. "The door is covered in youki!"

"Which means we are on the right track."

"But they are still here!" The boy sounded like he was about to panic.

"Stay calm and back away from the door as much as you can!" Yusuke backed away and raised his index finger, focusing his energy into it. "Spirit Gun!" The energy was released with a bang and caused the whole building to shake. But the door was still intact.

"The hell?!"

"Good try," a deep voice from behind said. Yusuke turned and saw a demon with four eyes standing over Jin. His face appeared amused. "But not nearly enough." His mouth contained three rows of pointed teeth on the top and bottom.

"You're one of the demons we're hunting." There was no question, Yusuke remembered seeing this beast's ugly face in a mug shot.

"Am I? I suppose so." Four-eyes reached down and picked up Jin by the throat. The wind master groaned as he was lifted.

"What did you do to him?" Yusuke demanded between clenched teeth.

"I'll show you." With that, Four-eyes lifted his free hand towards Yusuke. The detective barely had to time to dodge when he saw a colorless blast come towards him. Yusuke rolled to the side and charged at the demon. Focusing energy into his fists, the detective was about to throw a punch when Four-eyes threw Jin at him. Yusuke had to pull his punch to avoid hurting Jin, but the demon crashed into Yusuke, knocking the breath out of him.

Four-eyes laughed. "Humans are so predictable and worthless. Well, not entirely worthless, but psychics and half-bloods are the real cash cows."

Yusuke rolled Jin off him gently, glaring at the criminal. "What do you mean?"

"Like we didn't notice Reikai sent a team after us? We've been keeping a close eye on you. We even figured out you had your own collection of half-breeds and psychics."

"What does that have to do with the missing humans?" Yusuke stood up, but he felt a pain in his side. 'Hope I didn't break anything,' he thought.

"Insurance. We know as long as we have humans in our possession, Reikai will have to keep their distance."

"So you're not selling humans?"

"We are, but only those worth something." At that, Yusuke could hear Kazuki shouting on the other side of the door.

Yusuke charged for another attack, this time landing a hit on the side of Four-eyes's face. The demon stood his ground and grabbed Yusuke's wrist. A charged punch in the stomach sent Yusuke to the other side of the warehouse, plowing through crates along the way.

"I thought you were supposed to be Reikai's best Spirit Detective?" the demon mocked. "I guess that's what happens when demon blood gets watered down. I hope for your sake your friend doesn't get too upset over losing his son." Four-eyes left through the door Kazuki had entered and Yusuke felt both energies fade away. Yusuke lied on his back, gasping for air. His entire body ached but what hurt worse was knowing Kazuki was going to pay for his mistake.

'I wouldn't blame Kuwabara for killing me.'


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"So two vacant warehouses and one apprehended demon," Hiei ticked off the list, talking to Kurama through his communication mirror.

The red head nodded. "Kuwabara's team searched all over their warehouse but only found trace amounts of youki. My team managed to capture one of the criminals at our location. But Yusuke still hasn't reported in."

Hiei rolled his eyes. "The detective is probably lost."

"Has your team arrived at the warehouse?"

"We just got here." Suzuki and Kats stood next to Hiei, waiting for to move on.

"Then I'll leave you to it. Good luck."

"Hn." He closed the mirror and turned to the pair. "Let's get this over with."

The moment they entered the warehouse, Hiei knew there was something off. The warehouse was bare, no crates or machinery left behind. He began to feel another presence in the building.

"Someone else is here," Suzuki observed.

Hiei nodded. "Keep close."

They moved around the building slowly, aware of the eyes starring at them but unsure from where. As they neared the center of the building, Hiei looked up towards the ceiling. 'Too many shadows for this time of day,' he thought. He saw one shadow in the far corner move. His hand reflexively went to his katana. His teammates went into their own fighting stances. "Come out!" he shouted.

"You don't have to yell," a smooth, feminine voice answered from above. A pale skinned woman with red lips landed in front of them. She had short white hair and seemed completely drained of color except for her lips.

"Banshī," the woman introduced herself. "Or at least that's what they call me."

"I don't want to hear your life's story," Hiei snapped. "Tell us where your master is and I might let you live."

"Might?" Banshī laughed. "You're a brave little man if you think you can make me talk. Or stupid, I haven't decided which yet."

"Wrong answer." Hiei lunged at the woman with his sword, aiming for her stomach. But just when he thought he had pierced her, her body dissolved into black mist. He felt her lips next his ear.

"A banshee is a messenger of death, no one knows if they are responsible or if they are just there to escort to the afterlife."

Hiei swung around to face her, but froze. A woman with long golden hair and amethyst eyes was standing in front of him. 'Ren? But how?'

"Hiei! It's a trick!" Suzuki shouted as he prepared to attack. "Rainbow Cyclone!" Again, only black mist appeared where the woman had been standing.

Yusuke appeared to be standing next to Kats. "Come on kid, aren't you gonna at least try?" Kats backed away. "Dad?" He smiled as he brought up his fist and punched Kats in the face. The black haired girl raised her finger and began charging her energy into it.

The phantom Yusuke stood with his arms open at his sides. "Are you really gonna shoot your old man, Kats?" The girl's hands started to tremble. Hiei attacked the phantom from the side with his sword. The banshee's disappearance was bad timing on Hiei's part since Kats unleashed her spirit gun on him instead, knocking him through the warehouse wall.

"Oh crap!" Kats shouted.

"Keep focused!" Suzuki ordered. He blasted another cyclone at the demon who now wore the face of a fish girl.

"Suzuki," she pouted. "You wouldn't hurt me would you?"

"You're not real!" he shouted as black mist replaced the phantom.

"This isn't working," Kats said dejectedly.

Hiei groaned as he pushed himself off the ground. Gritting his teeth he ran back to the warehouse. 'Damn girl,' he thought. 'She has about as much brains as Yusuke.' When he returned, he saw his teammates wasting energy chasing phantoms. 'Fools, shadow demons send out projections.' His eyes went back to the ceiling where he spotted the banshee hiding in the shadows. He jumped and landed onto the rafters where he began making his way towards the woman.

The woman stood up and looked the fire demon in the eye. In a sweet tone she said, "Hiei, you used to be like us. Remember? You and Kurama stole those artifacts from Reikai and got arrested by that Spirit Detective? You didn't stay long in prison before that brat Koenma sent you off to assist your enemy. Doesn't it make you sick, working with humans?You never did get your revenge did you?"

"Revenge is for the weak," he spat. Hiei reached up and pulled off his head band. Removing his cloak, he revealed a bandaged right arm.

Banshī wagged a finger at him. "I wouldn't do that: do you want to risk this building coming down on you and your friends? And besides," she began to transform again, this time she appeared shorter with long black hair. "You wouldn't dare harm your own daughter, would you Daddy?" At her last words, her voice became more high-pitched.

Hiei shook his head. "Dammit you are not real! Fists of the Mortal Flame!" He then lunged at the demon with his flaming fists. The phantom didn't disappear this time. 'It's the real one now,' he thought. His fist connected with her stomach, followed by an uppercut. The banshee seemed stunned as she flew through the air and landed on the floor.

"Weak fool," he mumbled as he jumped down after her. Hiei reached down and grabbed the woman by her collar. She was back in her original form. "Depending so heavily on illusions, it makes me sick."

"No," she gasped. "You are the fool. This whole thing is an illusion."

"What?"

"Even your Jagan eye couldn't see."

"What are you talking about?"

"Open your eyes," she whispered.

Hiei felt like he was falling backwards but he never hit the floor. His head jerked forward and he saw he was lying on his back in the warehouse with Suzuki hovering over him.

"Finally," the inventor sighed. "You've been out for hours. When you came back inside, you looked like you entered a trance. I guess Kats's Spirit Gun really drained you."

"Where is Banshī?" Hiei croaked, his throat was unbelievably dry.

"Gone. We tried to fight her phantoms for so long, she managed to escape."

Hiei stood up and looked around. Something was wrong. "Where is Katsumi?"

Suzuki straightened but didn't look Hiei in the eye. "Banshī took her."

"Shit."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The three fathers sat in silence, letting the information sink in. Kuwabara and Yusuke were reeling, trying to think but continuing to that one thought: Kazuki and Katsumi were both gone. Hiei said nothing, expecting to receive abuse from Yusuke but it never came.

"It's not your fault," Yusuke assured, but his voice was hollow.

Kuwabara had thought about shouting at Yusuke for allowing Kazuki to be taken, but when Hiei explained that Kats was gone all he could feel was empathy. Kurama was doing his best to heal Jin while the rest of the group waited outside. Amaya was sparing with Touya in the garden.

"We still have Adobaisu," Hiei finally spoke.

"Who?" Kuwabara asked.

"The criminal Kurama brought in," Yusuke answered. "Perfect name for a snitch."

"Yeah, let's find out where those bastards took our kids," Kuwabara rose.

All three entered the room where the demon was bound and gagged. The creature had gray skin and beady eyes. He looked at the three men with hatred. Yusuke sat on the floor with him and looked into his face. The detective reached out and removed the gag, revealing an overbite.

"Alright man, this is how we are going to do this," Yusuke began. Kuwabara and Hiei stood on either side of their friend. "I'm gonna ask you some easy questions and you are gonna give me simple answers. If you cooperate, then you can get off easy. But if you don't," Yusuke's eyes darkened. "Then me and my friends will have to figure out alternative ways to make you tell us."

Adobaisu didn't seem at all intimidated. "Filthy human," he replied in a raspy voice. "Your words are wasted. I will never betray my comrades."

"That's what they all say," Hiei answered.

Yusuke ignored them. "Let's start off with one that's been bugging the crap out of me: why are you guys doing this? Taking people and selling them. Is it for money, power, or do you just got off on other people's misery?"

"Screw you!"

"Hiei." The fire demon came forward punched the demon across the jaw. "The hits will only get harder."

"Your mother is a tramp!"

"Kuwabara." The psychic came forward and stomped on the demon's testicles. The rat screamed. "Answer me!"

"We do it for Tero! He punishes us if we don't follow his orders!"

"What is his motivation?"

"I don't know!"

"Hiei."

It continued like this for hours: Yusuke asking questions, Adobaisu either giving answers or keeping quiet, Hiei and Kuwabara taking turns punishing the rat, and Adobaisu finally telling them everything they needed to know. By the time it was over, the demon was a beaten mass on the floor covered in blood and bruises.

Kurama had finished patching up Jin and when he heard the interrogation going on, he contacted Koenma and told him to send for a pickup and to prep the ER. Adobaisu would be taken to Spirit World hospital where he would be treated and later returned to prison.

"Where are they?" Kurama asked.

Yusuke turned to his friend. "Hashima."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Tero is doing all of this because he is only half-demon," Yusuke explained to Koenma over the communication mirror. "Apparently, he was abandoned by his mother because she didn't want him. His dad raped her. Tero was rejected by everyone because he is obviously a wolf demon but only by half. Seeing kids like Kats and Kazuki living normal lives must really piss him off."

The toddler prince nodded. "And you found all this out from Adobaisu?"

"Well, Kurama did some research and found out Tero's origin. Adobaisu just knew half-breeds were one of Tero's triggers."

"Disgusted by himself but wanting to cause as much pain as he can. But we need to make sure the humans are returned safely. Now, what do missing demons have to do with this?"

"The demons that went missing are all wolf demons. He's trying to take out his own father's pack."

"The sins of the father as they say, though I think this son is taking it up a notch."

"Try several notches." Yusuke was getting impatient to end the conversation, he wanted to find Kats and make sure she was safe.

"Yusuke, I want to say this now before we end this conversation: I never intended for you to get involved with this case. The only reason this is your problem is because we are in between Spirit Detectives right now and you are the only one I felt I could entrust this to. I'm sorry for what this has caused and I hope you find your daughter and that she is safe."

Yusuke smirked. "No worries, though I don't understand your reasoning behind it. Don't get me wrong, the next time I see you, future ruler of Reikai or not, I am gonna beat your ass so hard none of dad's spankings are even gonna compare. But it has been awesome working with the guys again. Later." He closed the mirror while Koenma looked dumbfounded.

'Royal dumbass,' Yusuke thought. He turned to the rest of the group, "Kurama, any idea what building we are looking for?"

The kitsune stared at his friend. "Yusuke, do you know anything about Hashima?" The detective shook his head. "It's an island that was meant for mining. It's been abandoned since the 1970's."

"Okay, your point?"

"I think it is safe to assume we will find Tero located in the underwater mines."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The team included Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, Hiei, Amaya, Chu, Touya, Shishi, and Suzuki. Jin was forced to stay behind to recuperate, even though he raised a fuss about it.

"Sure, go on and leave me alone to become looney," he pouted.

Yusuke patted his shoulder. "Man just enjoy your alone time, you have no idea how lucky you are. Try being a dad."

There was a tour boat the group had to use to get to the island. This involved fitting in with a boat full of humans. For some, this was easy. But for people like Chu and Hiei, anyone who was barely around normal humans, this task was difficult.

"People still aren't used to meeting demons," Kurama explained. "And in order for our plan to work, we need to become as inconspicuous as possible. Which means," he looked at Hiei and Chu, "it would be best if neither of you talked. And I trust I do not have to tell you, Amaya, not to bite anyone."

"Hn."

All the demons straight from Makai had to wear civilian clothes: Hiei had to wear sunglasses that hid his blood-red irises and adopt jeans and a black jacket that was loose enough to fit his katana in, Amaya had to wear a lavender dress and a white jacket, Chu wore a leather jacket and jeans, Touya had a long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and sneakers, and Shishi wore a suave suit, his vanity getting the better of him. Kurama and Suzuki were the only demons who knew how to dress discreetly.

On the boat, there were a few incidents that drew attention, but not enough to ruin the plan; like Chu's complaint that there was no alcohol on the craft and Shishi's seduction of the female attendants. Kurama kept his distance from the rest of the passengers to avoid similar situations; his would be unintentional.

Hiei and Amaya stood next to each other, staring across the ocean. Hiei was fighting the urge to throw away the sunglasses that impeded his vision.

"You look ridiculous in those," Amaya commented.

"Trust me, this isn't going to be a look I'll continue. I'm going to destroy these glasses as soon as the mission is over." Hiei looked around to make sure there were no humans within earshot. "I never asked if how you felt about all this."

"Does it matter?"

"No." Hiei paused. "But I still want to know."

"The only people I can stand are Kurama, Touya, Yusuke, and Kats."

Hiei noticed Amaya using Katsumi's nickname. "You seemed to get really close to the girl."

His daughter said nothing and observed the waves. After a pause, "Do you miss her?"

Hiei was not sure what she meant. "She is just as loud as her dad, but other than that I don't know her enough to miss her."

"Not Kats, Dad," Amaya corrected. Her voice seemed weaker as she clarified. "Do you miss Mom?"

Hiei didn't answer. He mulled over what he knew she wanted to hear and what she needed to hear. Amaya had been told about Ren; what she was like and how she died. But she never expressed any form of grief for the mother she never met.

Hiei sighed, deciding the truth would be best. It would be painful for him, but better sooner than later; a philosophy Amaya seemed to appreciate.

"Yes, I do."

Silence. Then Yusuke walked over, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. Hiei just grunted and shrugged it off. "Enjoying the view, you two?" he asked cheerfully.

Both father and daughter replied with a "Hn." Amaya backed away from the rail. "I'm going to find Kurama."

"I think I saw him in one of the cabins below deck," Yusuke offered. Amaya nodded and walked off.

"Man, she is definitely your kid." Hiei didn't reply.

More silence passed before, surprisingly, Hiei spoke. "Yusuke, I'm sorry." His voice was barely even a breath.

Yusuke stood dumbfounded, picked wax out of his ears and asked, "What did you just say?"

Hiei's knuckles turned white as he griped the railing. He repeated a little louder, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For letting Katsumi get captured."

"Whoa man, you did not let her get captured." Yusuke looked at Hiei but the fire demon kept his face turned toward the ocean. "You fought that bitch, she played a dirty trick and Kats was taken."

Hiei still didn't look at the detective. "Hiei, I know would never let that sort of thing happen. You don't need to apologize. I mean, yeah I get if the situation was reversed I would be on my knees begging for forgiveness-"

"I'm not on my knees," Hiei interrupted.

"Your not? Man, you need a growth spurt bad," Yusuke chuckled. Hiei growled. "Kidding. But I know you've got my back and you know I have yours." Yusuke turned to leave.

"Yusuke." The half demon turned to the Jagan wielder. "Just so you know, if Amaya was ever kidnapped and you were the one with her, you wouldn't even be breathing."

Yusuke chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, I know."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The team had managed to slip away from the rest of the tour group after docking at Hashima, the abandoned coal mining island. The entire island was made of concrete and consisted of old run-down buildings. Hashima contained apartment buildings, a hospital, playground, a public pool, and all the other necessities of for a thriving community.

"Not a bad place if they fixed it up," Yusuke observed.

"That would cost too much money," Kurama answered. "At the time this island was shut down, coal had dropped in terms of valuable resource, giving way to petroleum. This island is in too much disrepair from over fifty years of abandonment."

"Geez, if I wanted to hear unneeded information about this place, I would have stayed on the tour." Yusuke turned to the group. "Alright, we need to find the mining entrance and work our way to Tero. Any questions?"

Amaya asked, "Is that it? Do we have a plan?"

"Nope."

Amaya looked shocked. "You can't be serious."

Her father was the one to answer. "Yusuke never has a plan, he always makes it up as he goes along. It's easier if you just go with it."

Amaya's face still appeared baffled. "How are you alive?" The rest of the group laughed.

Kuwabara wiped a tear from his eye as he fought a fit of laughter. "It does not help he has died twice."

"Okay," Yusuke called when they all seemed to control themselves. "Let's move."

They found the mine shaft after much searching through off-limit areas that consisted of falling buildings and broken concrete. Everyone filed in except Shishi who hesitated.

"Shishi," Suzuki said. "C'mon."

Shishi looked down at his suit.

Suzuki growled. "You're an idiot. How would a suit be advantageous in this situation."

"I messed up, but appearance is everything to me. I thought you would understand."

"You are such a pretty boy, come on!"

Shishi followed with a whimper.

The shaft was narrow, causing most of the men to walk in single file. Hiei and Amaya were able to walk side-by-side. Pretty soon the light from the surface was completely gone, leaving them in darkness.

"It's so dark I can't even see my hand in front of my face," Kuwabara commented.

"Hold on." Yusuke lifted his finger and the tunnel lit up. He aimed down they way they were going.

"Yusuke don't!" Kurama grabbed his hand. "We are underwater at this point, one blast and the pressure will crush us."

"Oh yeah." Yusuke let his energy fade, engulfing them in darkness once again. "I forgot."

"You would forget your own ass if it wasn't attached," Hiei remarked harshly. He lifted his hand and summoned a flame to his palm. "Next time, just ask." He moved his way to the front of the line with Amaya following.

None of them knew how much time had passed before they reached a large chamber. Rusty machinery littered the area. They heard a howl echo throughout the space and saw a large beast enter through the opposite way with four demons in tow. One Hiei recognized as Banshī and another Yusuke knew as Four-eyes. The other two demons they could only remember from mug shots. One was a short boy with green skin and bulbous eyes while the other had scales, no nose, and their bottom half was nothing but a snake's tail. Their leader, Tero, looked like a werewolf without fur, his tail looked like a pink worm attached to the back of his pants.

Yusuke sauntered his way to the front. "Good, you're all here. Now we don't have to hunt your asses down."

"You're the descendant of Raizen?" the beast asked, his voice sounded like gravel. "Such a weak pup if Four-eyes could stop you."

"I was distracted then, now I've come to get back what's mine and send all of you straight to hell."

Tero barked. "I don't think so, Detective, if you want your cub to survive. Not to mention the humans you've been searching for." He held up a device in his clawed hands. "This is a detonator set to trigger a bomb in a chamber below us. Once that chamber falls, it will create a chain reaction, taking down every tunnel and chamber until the city above us cracks. And that same chamber is where your daughter and the humans are."

Yusuke shook his head. "There's no way you would want to die with us."

"If you are as good as they say you are, then you know I have nothing to live for. Misery has been my one legacy, and your deaths will ensure that is what will be left behind."

"You talk too much," Yusuke remarked.

Before either of them could react, the snake creature lunged himself at Yusuke. The detective was grazed on his right shoulder as he dodged, a deep gash appearing. The group moved into action as each member on both sides chose their opponents. Tero remained behind, watching the chaos.

"Nice to see you again, Hiei," Banshī purred, taking on the appearance of his deceased lover.

Hiei shook his head to clear his mind. Shishi came to his aid with the Banshee Shriek Sword, spinning it to make it emit the sound to paralyze weak apparitions. The shadow demon was on her knees covering her ears, her disguise melting away as Hiei walked up to her and struck her down.

'The irony of this was terrible,' Hiei thought. He turned and saw his daughter fighting the snake demon alongside Yusuke.

Amaya flitted back and forth to try and distract the demon while the detective gathered energy for his Spirit Gun. The water apparition was mindful of the tail, and even took a few opportunities to stab the beast with her knives.

"Move!" Yusuke ordered and Amaya vanished as his blast obliterated their opponent. The girl reappeared where the snake used to be, a delighted grin on her face.

Kurama bound Four-eyes with his rose whip while Kuwabara stabbed him with his Spirit Sword, affectively getting revenge for kidnapping his son.

The boy with the bulbous eyes was sprawled out on a wall that he had been clinging to when Touya froze him in place. Chu walked up to the boy and laughed in his face. "No need to kill this one, he ain't going no where."

Yusuke grabbed Amaya by the shoulder and whispered in her ear. "I need you and your dad to go down to the chamber and get everyone out, now." The girl nodded, looked at her father and darted for the door Tero and his men had entered through. Hiei followed her example, becoming nothing but a blur as he ran for the door.

"Your men are done for Tero," Yusuke informed.

"As are yours." Tero grinned a wicked smile of sharp teeth as he pushed the detonator. The whole structure shook.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Amaya and Hiei made it to the chamber in a second, seeing that the room was full of cages that contained demons and humans alike. They spotted Kats and Kazuki in a cage together separated from the others. The demonic pair immediately went about setting everyone free, Hiei kicked the doors and Amaya broke the locks with her knives.

"Come on!" the pair ordered the prisoners. As everyone started exiting their cells, they felt the whole chamber shake violently. Large cracks began to form around the chamber.

"Amaya!" Hiei shouted. The water apparition began summoning her youki to hold the ocean water at bay for the moment.

"Everyone go!" Hiei ordered, pushing people towards the exiting shaft. The prisoners began running out, Hiei shepherding them.

Kats hesitated, looking at the girl. "Amaya!" she called. She felt Kazuki grab her arm and pull her away. "Amaya, come on!" Hiei was in her face then, "Leave now!" he barked at her.

Amaya was starting to feel fatigued, but she had to hold on while everyone was still in the chamber. Kats and Kazuki were at the mouth of the shaft, looking at the girl to see if she would move. Her father pushed them through the exit. He turned.

"Amaya! Everyone is out!" He was feeling her energy decreasing greatly every second that ticked by.

"Go!" she shouted. The cracks were getting bigger, she couldn't move now until she knew everyone had at least made it to the chamber above.

"Amaya!" he shouted. Hiei's heart was pounding; he had not felt like this since the day Ren went into labor.

"GO!"

Hiei felt multiple arms grab him and drag him away. He ordered for them to let go but his body seemed nonexistent so he could not fight back.

Amaya pulled back a little and backed away towards the exit.

The group pushed everyone up to the surface as fast as possible. They needed to leave the mines and get back on the boats. Hiei was yelling Amaya's name as they emerged from underground.

Amaya had just made it to the previous chamber when she felt her youki was depleted, then began tapping into her life energy.

The tour group had just boarded the ship when the newcomers ran on. It was a sight to see a pack of wolves that walked on two legs, a group of grown men with weapons, some haggard looking humans, a strange boy that was frozen in a block of ice, and a man being dragged on board while he screamed incoherently.

Hiei was released when the boat began to pull away from the dock. He stared desperately at the island, looking for some sign that Amaya was still alive. As if on cue, the entire island appear to shake and cave in. Water rushed in, crushing the mines underneath. The tour group stared in shock and some began to take photos.

The fire demon crumpled to his knees, his breathing had become labored. Kats looked at her father in disbelief. Yusuke put his arm around his daughter and pulled her close when she dissolved into tears. The entire group went silent. Kuwabara saw as his brother-in-law broke down, seeing him shed tears for the first time.

Hiei didn't know when he started crying, he just felt his heart break and the rest seemed to follow. His mind flashed through memories of before he met Ren, how dark and lonely it was when it was just him. Then he saw his times with the only woman he ever loved, how exciting to have someone to hold onto. Then came Amaya, when he lost Ren but gained a daughter who would always be a piece of her. Amaya brought hope in a dark time.

'My daughter,' he thought in despair.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Amaya felt weightless as she was tossed into the sea. Her body did not seem to exist anymore, but her mind still seemed intact. She drifted in and out of thought, remembering what had just happened and then relishing the feeling of the ocean. Water apparitions always felt most comfortable in the ocean, which was why their territories were always in cities underwater.

'Wait,' she thought. 'If water demons can live underwater, then doesn't that mean...?'

Amaya opened her eyes and looked down at herself. She was still there, her entire body was completely unharmed. She didn't even need to breath. She turned to where she thought the island was and only saw rubble drifting to the ocean floor.

Wanting to make sure everyone had gotten away, Amaya swam down as far as she could, which turned out to be very far. Water pressure did not seem to effect her. She reached the ocean floor and shifted through as much of the rubble as possible to find any bodies. She did a silent tally as she found bits of flesh and clothing. There wasn't a lot, so she assumed that meant the group had gotten out. She silently prayed to Enma that her father was still alive.

Amaya propelled herself to the surface, taking in oxygen but not really needing it. She looked around to try and find the boat and spotted it near the mainland. Without a second thought, the water apparition swam faster than she could run, creating large waves on either side of her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Hiei refused to budge once the boat was docked. He had stopped crying but tears were still present on the rims of eyes. He stared at the place the island used to be and began cursing Koenma, his father, and all of Reikai. Not all of it was in his head.

The group began to leave the boat, Yusuke stayed behind with Hiei.

"Hiei-"

"No."

"What?"

"Don't try to tell me you know what I'm feeling, detective. You have no idea the hell I have been through. The hell she saved me from. And now..."

"Are you talking about Amaya or her mother?"

"Both."

"Well, I hate to tell you this Hiei, but I do know what you're going through."

The demon growled.

"Really. Before Keiko, my life sucked: my dad left and my mom was a drunk who slept with guys for money. And even after I met her, things didn't get better right away. I started getting in trouble a lot, got into some nasty habits, and even got hit by a car. But as soon as we started getting serious, she showed me I could be so much more. Now I have two kids that I don't know how I could live without. Hiei, if my entire family died right now, I would be a wreck."

"Careful, detective. Fate has a sense of humor. Maybe they'll all get hit by a car."

"Fine," Yusuke threw his hands up and started walking away. "Be that way, you selfish ass."

Hiei sighed, still staring at the ocean. He didn't feel anything at that moment, so he didn't care what he said. But then again, he never cared.

The fire demon was about to walk away when he saw something strange in the water; he couldn't tell from that distance what it was, but it caused large waves. He was transfixed by the sight. The object came closer and closer until it neared the boat. He tried to see the details of the object. He saw black and purple, and that was it.

Hiei thought the object was going to collide with the boat, but instead it came to a full stop beside it. The man looked over the railing to see the pale face of a little girl smiling up at him. Hiei blinked, unsure of what he saw.

"Hey Dad," the girl said cheerfully, her amethyst eyes sparkling up at his crimson ones.

Without thinking, Hiei jumped over the railing, landing in the water. When he resurfaced, all of his friends looked over the edge of the dock and saw his usually vertical hair laying flat on his head as he swam towards his daughter. When he reached her, the father took Amaya in his arms and held her tightly.

"Dad, we're sinking," she informed.

Hiei ignored her as he continued to hold his daughter.

'My daughter. My beautiful Amaya.'


	19. Epilogue

Epilogue

Hiei and Amaya stood in front of the portal that connected Ningenkai and Makai. They were surrounded by friends and family as they prepared to depart. Jin, Touya, Shishi, Suzuki, and Chu had already left. Jin was still grumbling about not being useful despite many assurances that the fight wasn't worth his skill.

"Hiei," Yusuke began. "Don't be a stranger. I know you don't like it here, but at least visit us. I'd hate to think the next time we see you is at Kuwabara's funeral."

"Hey!"

Hiei smirked. "Why not? We could make it a party."

"Watch it shrimp!" Kuwabara fumed but relaxed after a second. "We're family now, Hiei, whether you like it or not. At least come by to see Yukina and the kids."

Hiei looked at his twin sister standing with her three children: Harumi, who looked exactly like her mother; Kazuki, who was a mix of Yukina and Kuwabara; and Keiji, the boy Hiei could have sworn was Kuwabara's younger self. He had this warm feeling swell inside him but dismissed it with a "Hn."

Kats walked up to Amaya and knelt down so she was eye level, sort of. "I'd love to see you again, sis."

Amaya's eyes widened at the nickname. "Sis?"

"Yeah, you're like the little sister I never had but always wanted." Kats reached into her pocket and brought out an object that looked like a compact. "We can talk to each other through our dads's communicators."

"Hey," Yusuke yelled. "That ain't a cell phone, you little pick pocket."

Kats ignored him. Keiko giggled. "She's is definitely your daughter."

Hiei turned to Yusuke. "Are we absolutely sure Tero is dead?"

Yusuke pouted. "C'mon, I blew the guy's freaking head off myself."

"We wouldn't have gone through all that trouble if you had shot him from the start."

"You mean you wouldn't have broken down like a bitch and then jumped into the ocean, coming out looking like a drowned rat."

"I will kill you," Hiei threatened, his narrowing dangerously.

"Yeah, yeah. Have a safe trip man."

"Safe?" Amaya asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where is the fun in that?"

"Your daughter is starting to corrupt mine, Yusuke."

"Naw, I'm sure she's been thinking that and Kats taught her how to not shut up."

The group laughed except for Hiei and Amaya. Kats hugged Amaya, who stood stiff in her arms with a bored expression, and everyone said their final goodbyes.

When the pair was on the other side of the portal, Hiei asked, "Was it worth crying over?"

Amaya looked straight ahead. "Hn."


End file.
